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This is the third post in a series about determining whether your should repair or replace (and recycle) a broken appliance.
If your washing machine has you staring down at it in flabbergasted disgust, you'll have to determine if a call to your handy appliance repair man or a trip to your local appliance retailer (after stopping off at the Energy Star clothes-washer site, of course) is in order. If you have a top-loading machine that's from the 20th century, the answer is pretty automatic: Replace it.
Older top-loaders typically use about twice as much water as front-loading machines; considering that the average household does almost 400 loads of laundry each year, consuming about 13,500 gallons of water, according to Energy Star, that adds up to about 7,000 gallons of water saved each year. Over the 11-year life of the washer, that's enough water to fill up three backyard swimming pools, or provide a lifetime of drinking water for six people. One more stat to add to the equation: 90 percent of the energy costs of running a clothes washer comes from heating water, so a little more water per cycle in an old machine adds up to a lot more energy (and money for that energy).An Energy Star-qualified clothes washer can save you $550 in operating costs over its lifetime, compared to a regular clothes washer (especially those bought before 1994); depending how much you pay for a new one, how long it lasts, and how much you pay for water and electricity, a new, efficient washer can easily pay for itself over time.
In fact, replacing a machine you got as recently as 2005 could have water-saving benefits. There are both front and top-loaders that get Energy Star's seal of approval, though front loaders are much more common. Check their buying tips before taking the plunge, and don't forget about rebates and tax credits for buying a new, efficient machine. ::Energy Star
Difficulty level: Easy
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